TV - Right or wrong?

[StressyHead]

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My DS - nearly 20 months watches a little Cbeebies at home. mainly if he is a bit worked up and needs to calm down - or if we're a bit tired and feeling ill. I think it does stretch his imagination and help his vocabulary.

whenever the "night night" screen at the end of the bedtime hour comes up he says "night night" (and I swear I've only said night night at this point once or twice)

my PIL have a slightly Noo Noo looking vacuum cleaner and DS spied it and said "Noo Noo" immediately and kept trying to get it out of the cupboard

he is now trying to say "imagine" whilst waving his arms in the air and also trying to say "bob the builder"

I think TV captures their attention better than books when in certain moods and providing the program is good quality can stretch their minds. In other moods books are better. Also we do try and watch TV with DS and I think this is when he benefits most.

Stressyhead, I'm amazed that you hate Teletubbies. Why? I think it is great. I really like the concept of the programme - that all these babies really love each other, and because it is so gentle. The scriptwriter has a degree in speech sciences BTW - the language isn't random.

Have you ever tried to watch Telletubby's while drunk ? You'll love it!

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Fairymum-rather than get rid of sky, what has worked well for me is fibbing! I didnt want mine watching Cartoon network so I told them that although it was there, we hadnt paid to watch it and if they were caught watching it, Sky would disconnect the TV. Has worked really well, funny to hear them shouting at each other if accidentally switch channels to it for a milisecond OK I know we should be honest with our children but its a white lie and saves them from watching rubbish if not directly supervised and was either that or get rid of Sky.

I haven't read the manual properly - but I vaguely remember something about parental controls - can you set your sky box so that only certain channels can be viewed without a pin number? (ds hasn't worked out how to change channels yet, so I'm safe for the time being)

Good idea miggy. LOL....

My ds (now 2 yr 1 mo) started watching TV at about 18 months. In fact he watches very little TV (we never seem to be in at the right times), but we hire a video of his choice from the library each week (we don't have cable or Sky) and he'll watch little bits of it throughout the week. In particular, on the days I work, he'll want to watch some when we get in, and I don't feel it's fair to try and involve him in a different activity when he's obviously so tired after being at nursery all day. He finds Teletubbies a bit dull now, but adores Tweenies and is just getting into Bob the Builder. I swore I wouldn't let him watch TV, but I'm sure they can learn from it, provided it's not used as a babysitter. I actually think Tweenies is great; they're always doing 'stuff' - singing, making things, dressing up, painting - and ds thinks Milo is the big brother he doesn't have.

What I do object to though, is the marketing of all the TV characters, invariably at stupid prices, aimed at little ones. I'd gladly see all that go by the wayside. This is definitely the downside of letting toddlers watch TV.

I think everything in moderation.

My ds twins love Balamory, Barnaby Bear and anything to do with singing and dancing. The act along to the TV rather than just veg out trance like. It can get a bit ridiculous when people go on about banning this and that. Sorry if that offends but it is merely MHO.

I personally found the Tweenies patronising but the boys watch it when they are singing as they enjoy the actions. They'll be 2 at the end of December.

Use tv as a learning tool. I found that after watching Teletubbies one day the boys came out with a few new words they had liked the sound of (and it wasn't eh-oh!)

DD is now 2¼ years old. She loves the Fimbles, Teletubbies, Bob the Builder, Come Outside, Tweenies, Smarteenies and most of the kiddies shows. She's allowed to watch some programmes in the morning (if we're in) and she watches TV with her brother - Disney channels - in the evenings. But she also plays alot at the creche and playgroup, she goes out to the park or garden to run around and play, splashes in the bath, reads books (even when upside down ), plays with her bricks, dolls, plates, cups, puzzles, etc. As far as I'm concerned, so long as she's not watching TV on her own, all day and every day, then there's nothing wrong with TV. She's learning songs (that I've either forgotten or didn't know), she watches how other children live and she simply has fun. Besides, TV never hurt me. I watch it (sometimes more than others), but still manage to study for a degree, bring up two children, have great conversations with my family, cook dinners and go out for family outings. TV can be positive.

I put the TV on when im cooking dinner to keep the kids out of the kitchen and when i need a quick bath i put it on then. My 2 dds tend to be playing with something, toys, puzzles, colouring in and its on in the background so that when they are finished doing whatever it distacts them till they find something else to do.
If its not on in the background then they come running to me after every pictures finished and while theres things cooking id prefer they didnt.
I know a couple who dont let thier kids get toys out and they do really just sit and watch TV all day, the kids are like zombies. They seem to have a bit of life in them now they are at school now though, they are doing the things they have been watching other people doing on tv i suppose!
I lived without a TV for over a year when i was a teenager and didnt miss it a bit, the whole family read books and played scrabble instead. When mum finally saved up for a TV licence the whole family congregated round the tv for coutdown instead and the loser had to make the tea!
I think TVs good as long as there is other things going on too. I think i could live without it again, but id much prefer not too!